• A supplement to the Godly Play classroom, to be used by storytellers and children during response time and/or by parents at home

• Full-color throughout, with original paintings based on the materials used in the Godly Play I classroom

• Expands on the effectiveness and success of the Godly Play method of faith formation

Parable of the Good Shepherd is a visual retelling of the biblical lesson as taken from The Complete Guide to Godly Play and told with revised text and original art. The bookrecreates the experience of hearing this core and possibly best-loved, best-known Bible story as a supplement to Godly Play or as a stand-alone bedside reader.

For Christian educators, Christian schools, vacation Bible schools, parents, grandparents, godparents—anyone who desires to engage in sharing faith and biblical stories in any setting, especially all those in the Godly Play community: trainers, storytellers, teachers, parents, and children.

Jerome W. Berryman is the founder of Godly Play and has wide experience working with children ages 2-18. Writer, lecturer and workshop leader, Rev. Berryman is Senior Fellow of the Center for the Theology of Childhood. He is the author of The Complete Guide to Godly Play, Teaching Godly Play, Children and the Theologians, and The Spiritual Guidance of Children: Montessori, Godly Play and the Future.

Lois Mitchell is an artist and Godly Play teacher who lives in Arlington, Massachusetts. Visit her website at www.LoisMitchellArt.com.

I bought the two new storybooks and am telling my parents ALL to buy them as Christmas gifts. I almost cried! Love the illustrations, the way it’s all presented, the fact that it is almost word for word how the stories are presented, and that it will be such a wonderful tool for parents.

I was just about to forward a little information about the books after an art event here over the weekend. I opened my loft for the citywide open studios, where the public can come visit my studio where I also live, and perhaps purchase art. I set up a table with cards and prints of my paintings. At the last minute, I decided to also display the Godly Play picture books to see what people thought and to offer them for sale ($10 each) if anyone wanted one. Foot traffic was modest; however, most of the people who came picked up the books before anything else and leafed through them. My first sale of the event was two of the books! Here are some anecdotes from the event:

- One grandmotherly woman who came with two young girls bought the books because she "likes religious books and likes illustrators." She planned to read them to the girls that evening.

- Another woman came with two young girls and chatted with me for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, one of the girls chose to sit on my couch reading through one of the books the whole time and seemed reluctant to put it back when their mom wanted to leave.

- Another man who came read the back cover of one of the books, then asked "So, what is the core vision of Godly Play?" We then had a discussion about children and spirituality.

Lois Mitchell, Artist for The Good Shepherd and The Holy Family

I passed out copies to the members of the Godly Play International Council in Ely England a week ago where there were nine countries represented. They were enthralled. The books remained out both days we were meeting and were opened frequently. They asked where they could buy copies, if there would be more books, and if we were planning to translate them.

In my home parish, one teacher noticed that the people of God in The Great Family have stars on them and welled up with tears. The illustrations are powerful. I know my church is planning to order multiple copies to give out at baptisms and for new families.